An Assessment of the Impact of the Solar I Oil Spill on Ichthyoplankton in the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMAR), Southern Guimaras, Philippines

Data on the abundance, composition and distribution of ichthyoplankton assemblages in the TINMAR from previous investigations (1998-99 and 2000-01) are compared with similar data collected after the oil spill in August 2006 (2006-08). Patterns of variability are described for both sets of data. The overall results of the current monitoring effort do not show any conclusive link between observed egg and larval abundance, distribution and composition on one hand, and the potentially deleterious effects of the oil spill. While some of the observed differences between data from post-spill and earlier surveys may be attributed to an expected impact from the oil spill (e.g., differences in observed densities and the (age) composition of larval assemblages), these cannot be separated from what appears to be natural levels of spatial and or temporal (tidal, diurnal, lunar, month-to-month, and or seasonal) variability. Hence, the focus of future monitoring efforts will shift towards determining an appropriate sampling scheme to systematically address the spatio-temporal and habitat factors having a major influence on ichthyoplankton abundance and distribution in coastal waters